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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - June 2025 Monthly Project Highlights Contact the City Manager's Office at 515-239-5101 515 Clark Avenue, Ames, IA 50010 Report compiled by Jeramy Neefus, Principal Clerk City Manager's Office JUNE 2025 MONTHLY PROJECTHIGHLIGHTS LIBRARY 2025 Great Reads Announced: Ames Public Library serves as the Iowa Center of the Book, one of 56 affiliates of the Library of Congress Center for the Book. Every year, a list of books representing the literary heritage of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands is featured during the National Book Festival. This year, the Iowa Center for the Book (at Ames Public Library) has chosen the following books for Iowa: "América del Norte" by Nicolás Medina Mora and “Hard Hat Hank and the Sky-High Solution” written by Charlotte Gunnufson and illustrated by Brian Biggs. Find out more about the 2025 selections, upcoming events featuring the authors, and the Iowa Center for the Book at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/IowaCenterForTheBook. A.I. Events at the Library: Curious about artificial intelligence (A.I.)? Come to the Library for informative events all about A.I.: • Kate Garretson, Instruction Librarian at the Iowa State University (ISU) Library, will present “Explaining and Exploring A.I.” on Tuesday, July 15, at 7:30 p.m. An exploration of practical applications and strategies will follow an overview. Garretson will also touch on some ethical considerations and limitations of A.I. Attendees can bring their own devices or use one of the Library’s laptops (limited number available). • Kids are invited to “Intro to A.I.” on Monday, July 7, at 1:00 p.m. This event will include a brief explanation of A.I., the future of A.I., and ethics. After the presentation, students will be able to create and test a basic machine learning mode. Film Series Featuring African American Experiences in the United States: The “Echoes of Resilience” film series kicked off on June 24 and continues every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. through August 12. After each film, there is a facilitated conversation with other community members. Find out more at https://bit.ly/Echoes2025. 2 PBS Kids Show Visit to the Library: Ames Public Library will host PBS’s Wimee’s Words series creator Michael Hyacinthe at a special event Wednesday, July 9, at 10:00 a.m. He will be joined by the lovable robot Wimee who will livestream onto the big screen. This program about imagination and creating stories is designed for ages 3-10, but all ages are welcome. 3 PARKS & RECREATION Ada Hayden Heritage Park Path Replacement Project: City Council awarded a contract to Caliber Concrete LLC, Adair, Iowa, for the replacement of the path at Ada Hayden Heritage Park. The project includes replacing the 3.2 mile ten-foot-wide asphalt path with a twelve-foot-wide concrete path. The paths that lead to Stonebrooke Road, Fletcher Avenue, Edgewater Circle, and Harrison Road parking are included to be replaced as part of the project. The plans and specifications were completed by WHKS, Inc., Ames, Iowa. The project is expected to start in August and be completed by November 21. Agility Course at Carr Park: Caliber Concrete, LLC, Adair, Iowa, completed construction of the Carr Park Agility Course, 1704 Meadowlane Avenue. Staff completed the construction of the shelter and the installation of the benches. Turf seeding was also completed by staff. Staff will be adding picnic tables, grills, and a water fountain. A ribbon cutting is planned for July 10. The picture below depicts the agility course and shelter. Ames/ISU Ice Arena Radiant Heating Project: Converse Conditioned Air, Ames, Iowa, completed the installation of the radiant heating system at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena. The project included demolition of the burners and heat tubes, and replacing them with new burners, tubing, and controllers. The system is located over the spectator seating and in the lobby. The project was designed by KCL, West Des Moines, Iowa. Aquatics: This season has seen a mix of weather conditions, with temperatures fluctuating significantly. It began with unusually cold weather—training sessions were conducted in 50- degree temperatures. Despite the chill, staff performed exceptionally well. Lower-than-average attendance during these early days provided a valuable opportunity for staff to focus on preparation and extensive facility cleaning. 4 Water Safety Day was held Friday, June 6, from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. While the weather was cold and dreary, six attendees participated and received valuable water safety education. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was present with a kayak and offered safe boating instruction. Additional booths provided information on water safety skills and helped assess children to determine the appropriate swim lesson level. The first session of swim lessons saw strong community engagement with 154 individuals registered for daytime lessons and 180 for evening lessons. Despite continued chilly conditions, participants ranging from 6 months old to adults gained critical swimming and water safety skills. The season’s signature event, the “Build Your Own Boat Race,” was held on Saturday, June 14, in the Lazy River. Seven creative participants competed by building boats out of duct tape and cardboard, navigating them through the Lazy River in a fun and engaging race that encouraged innovation and teamwork. 5 Homewood Golf Course: As of June 23, 2025, Homewood Golf Course has had 10,946 rounds played. By that date last year, Homewood had 10,785 rounds played. Homewood opened on March 11 in 2024 and on March 28 in 2025. Homewood partnered with Painting with a Twist to host a summer painting class on June 3. Thirteen participants created their own masterpieces. The Youth Golf League began on Wednesday, June 4. A total of 26 youth participate weekly. Father’s Day was June 15, and fathers played free with a paying customer. Twenty fathers took advantage of the free golf. Two sessions of youth golf lessons have been completed at the Veenker driving range. The first session had 15 participants, and the second had 16, which is the maximum number allowed per session. The table below shows the current clubhouse rental hours and revenue amounts compared to the same time frame last fiscal year. July 1, 2023 – June 25, 2024 July 1, 2024 – June 25, 2025 Paid Event Hours 169.25 190.25 Revenue from Paid Events $17,476.25 $19,778.25 Non-Paid Event Hours 224.75 150.50 Forestry: A $10,000 grant from the Iowa DNR supported the planting of 50 new trees in the 1300–1500 blocks of Curtiss, Marston, and Roosevelt Avenues. Volunteers completed the planting on Saturday, May 10. City staff have since taken over ongoing care, which includes weekly 6 watering and installing support structures as needed. All 50 trees have been logged into the Ames Urban Tree Inventory mapping tool. In a separate effort, City staff also planted 50 trees across various areas in Ames to replace those removed over the past year. Homeowners were contacted prior to planting and were encouraged to participate in species selection for trees adjacent their properties. These trees have also been added to the Ames Urban Tree Inventory. To maintain public safety and urban canopy health, staff removed 37 trees identified as hazardous or damaged, particularly those affected by recent thunderstorms. The Parks & Recreation Forestry team has resolved and closed more than 30 SeeClickFix requests, in addition to handling numerous tree service requests received via email and voicemail. Staff also responded to multiple after-hours tree emergency calls caused by severe weather— providing critical services to ensure public roadways, sidewalks, and driveways remain safe and accessible for Ames residents. Friedrich Pitch: Caliber Concrete, LLC., Adair, Iowa, completed construction of the Friedrich Pitch in Lloyd Kurtz Park, 3710 Hyde Avenue. The project includes a mini pitch with acrylic surfacing, fencing, goals, benches, 7 accessible walkways, and a path connection to the path and shelter located on the north side of the park. Staff recently received notification the City was awarded a $20,000 grant from Delta Dental to install a drinking fountain with bottle filler that will be added to complement the project. Below is a picture of the completed Mini Pitch. Parks and Recreation Maintenance Facility Expansion Project: City Council awarded a contract to King Knutson Construction, Inc., of Iowa Falls, Iowa, for the Parks and Recreation Maintenance Facility Expansion Project located at 700 E. 13th Street. The project includes constructing a cold storage facility and renovating the current Parks Maintenance Facility employee break room. Plans and specifications were completed by SVPA+ Architects, Inc., West Des Moines, Iowa. The project is expected to start in August and be completed in early 2026. Poison Hemlock, Wild Parsnip, and Musk Thistle: Staff has received multiple calls about Poison Hemlock, Wild Parsnip, and Musk Thistle encroaching on paths and rights of way throughout the City. Depending on the plant species, staff has been addressing the concerns by either mowing, spraying, or cutting and removing. Staff has also been educating the public about each plant and stressing the importance of staying on maintained trails and paths to limit contact, especially with Wild Parsnip. Splash Pad at Daley Park: City Council awarded a contract to TK Concrete, Pella, Iowa, for the construction of the Daley Park Splash Pad, 340 Wilder Boulevard. The City Council awarded a separate contract to Commercial Recreation Specialists, Verona, Wisconsin, for the Splash Pad Equipment and Installation. The project will start later this summer and is expected to be completed by June 1, 2026. Below is a rendering of the splash pad. 8 Wellness: Yoga in the Park began on Saturday, June 7. Classes are free, open to the public, and are taught by volunteer Yoga instructors from various Ames Yoga studios. Participation has been approximately 60-70 participants per Saturday. 9 June onboarding and classes had the following registrations: Program Registrations Total Aqua Conditioning 67 Deep Water Fitness 34 Beginner Line Dance 19 West Coast Swing Dance 15 Sixty Forward Center Onboarding 35 10 PLANNING & HOUSING 100 Year Anniversary of City of Ames Zoning: The City of Ames established zoning officially on June 22, 1925, with the publishing of the first city zoning ordinance (#354). The entire ordinance totaled 18 pages and divided the city into five zoning districts. A City map from 1926 is pictured below. Mary Greeley Medical Center (MGMC) Zoning Text Amendment Request: Mary Greeley Medical Center desires to redevelop the southwest corner of its property along Kellogg Avenue with a new housing and training facility. The City Council received a request to initiate Zoning Text Amendments for the Hospital Medical Zoning District (S-HM) to address adding a residential accessory use and for height and reduced setbacks. MGMC has a neighborhood meeting planned for July 7. On July 8, the City Council will consider next steps for the requested zoning change. New Development Projects and Legal Notices Page: A new development projects listing for the Planning Division is now active. The page includes new major projects with legal notices when available. This is the first step to implement the City Council’s direction to create a Major Projects webpage for City initiatives. Use the following link to check out the page: https://www.cityofames.org/My-Government/Departments/Planning/Development-Project- Updates-and-Legal-Notices.